Kolkata Municipal Corporation To Introduce Free Pathological Tests From October

From October, all the pathological tests will be done for free at Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

People can visit one of the malaria clinics run by the health department of Kolkata Municipal Corporation and get examined by a medical officer.

Based on the examinations the medical officer will recommend tests required for the patient. The blood samples will be sent to a dengue detection center for pathological tests.

The free tests include serum cholesterol, serum creatinine, serum bilirubin, SGPT and some routine tests such as stool and urine.

KMC health department has decided to upgrade for examinations. Funds had been sanctioned for the upgrade one of five dengue centers into full-fledged labs, said Atin Ghosh, the member, mayor-in-council overseeing the KMC health.

"Our lab technicians at the dengue centers analyze blood samples for malaria and dengue. For the new facility, these technicians from five of those centers have been trained to carry out the other tests offered by the health department," said Ghosh.

The five centers where the tests will be done are at Hatibagan, Haji Mohammed Mohsin square, Chetla, Layalka and Behala.

Depending on the response of the citizens, the civic body would open more such labs in the next two years said Ghosh.

"Initially, we are introducing the facility based on the staff strength at five dengue detection labs. We need to open more such labs once people start taking these tests," he said.

The civic body also plans to introduce blood tests for diabetes. "We want to extend this crucial facility to citizens. We have trained our doctors. Diabetes expert T K Mukherjee, who is also an adviser to the KMC health department, may contribute to make the project a success."

Source: Medindia